Makhi Mitchell the player to watch in Hogs’ postseason opener

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Beyond Khalif Battle, no Arkansas player closed the regular season on a higher note than Makhi Mitchell.

The second-season transfer forward from Rhode Island averaged 15.1 points on 64.9% shooting, 6.9 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.3 assists in the Razorbacks’ final 7 games. But one outing in that stretch wasn’t like the others.

On Feb. 27, Mitchell essentially laid an egg in Arkansas’ 85-82 home loss to Vanderbilt. He had 0 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist in 19 minutes.

Commodores forward Ven-Allen Lubin played Mitchell off Nolan Richardson Court.

Mitchell will get a shot at payback Wednesday when the Razorbacks face Vanderbilt at 6 p.m. in the SEC Tournament opener at Bridgestone Arena. If Arkansas hopes to keep its season alive, it will likely need a bounce-back performance from the seasoned big.

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“You look at his last 10-game segment, we need him to play better than the Vandy game, because other than that game, he’s played at a high, high level,” Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman said Monday. “We just need him to continue to do what he’s been doing, to continue to play like he did against Alabama and some of these games of late.

“He’s really played fantastic on both ends of the floor for us.”

In the 3 games prior to the scoreless outing, Mitchell added 20-plus points twice against Mississippi State and Texas A&M, including a career-best 22 on the Aggies. He then pitched in 19- and 18-point showings in the final week of the regular season vs. LSU and at Alabama.

That version of Mitchell can help the Razorbacks extend their stay.

“Whenever he’s out there rebounding and running the floor,” Trevon Brazile said of Mitchell last Saturday, “he’s a menace and a force.”

He is the Arkansas player to monitor Wednesday given his recent play and the rematch with Lubin, a gifted and mobile 6-8 forward. Lubin had 19 points and 12 rebounds in the win at Bud Walton Arena, and 25 points and 11 rebounds in the Commodores’ thrilling win over Florida last weekend.

He is averaging 12.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game this season.

“Lubin, he did a great job reacting to rebounds,” Musselman said of the teams’ first meeting. “If Manjon and Lawrence get into the teeth of the defense and are able to give dump-off passes and your bigs help, certainly that creates issues. We’ve got to have better smashes on the weak side.

“[Lubin] played a great game against us. He’s a really good player that, in my opinion, is a hard cover. He made a couple of threes against the Gators, so that opens up a little bit more of his game as well.

“The effectiveness that they had at that 5 spot in the first meeting, we’ve got to improve. And that’s everybody’s responsibility, from the coaches to all five players on the floor.”

Musselman on Monday gave Mitchell kudos for his pick-and-roll play and understanding of when to short roll against certain coverages.

“Makhi’s been great. Pick-and-roll, we’re playing through him,” Musselman said. “He’s played really, really good basketball.”

Will he continue that trend Wednesday?